Aerodynamic Bicycle Helmet

ABSTRACT

An aerodynamic bicycle helmet for decreasing coefficient of drag when a head of a rider is in a down position is disclosed. The helmet may comprise a cushion with a concave cavity for receiving the head of the rider; a strap attached to the cushion for maintaining the cushion on the head of rider in the event of a crash; an exterior shell disposed over the cushion, the exterior shell having a leading portion with a spherical or a parabolic configuration, the leading portion positioned on a top portion of the head of the rider when the helmet is worn by the rider.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a helmet for a bicycle.

Helmets are worn by bicycle riders to protect the rider's head in theevent of a crash. The helmet absorbs the shock of the crash instead ofthe rider's head. Road bicycles at competition levels exceed speeds of25 miles per hour. If a rim breaks, or cars and other cyclists crashinto the bicycle rider, the bicycle rider may fall to the ground in aviolent and uncontrolled motion. The helmet protects the rider's headfrom unintended contact with the pavement, other cyclists, automobiles,etc. The helmet absorbs the shock impact instead of the rider's head.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate prior art bicycle helmets. FIG. 1 illustrates atypical road bicycle helmet for recreational use. The helmetincorporates holes to provide air flow through the helmet so that therider's head does not overheat during the bike ride. Unfortunately, dueto the discontinuities formed by the apertures in the helmet as well asthe rider's facial features, there is an increased coefficient of drag.Additionally, the back side of the helmet produces an area of lowpressure which provides an overall rearward pressure differential to therider's head. Although these sources of drag may be characterized inrecreational riding as minute, by competition level standards, allminute sources of friction and drag may be considered to be significant.

Referring to FIG. 2, a different type of bicycle helmet is shown. Thebicycle helmet does not incorporate apertures for providing air flowthrough the helmet to cool down the rider's head during a bike ride. Thehelmet places aerodynamics over comfort. Additionally, the rider's faceis pointed forward and exposed to the oncoming wind so that the rider'seyes may survey the upcoming terrain and avoid any obstacles in front ofhim/her without crashing. In this position, the tail portion is blendedto the rider's back. Unfortunately, the bicycle rider must still lookupwards so that the rider's face is in the direction of wind flow. Therider's face increases the coefficient of drag while the rider islooking forward. Also, the rider's neck will be strained for having tolook up all the time. Additionally, when the rider looks downward, thetail portion is raised upward as shown by the hidden lines. The backside of the tail portion experiences low pressure which provides a netbackward force on the tail portion thereby slowing the rider down.

In both prior art FIGS. 1 and 2, the rider's head is cocked upward.During long rides, the rider must maintain this head up position so thatthe rider can keep track of obstacles in front of his/her path.Unfortunately, this is not a comfortable position. This up positioncreates neck strain thereby causing discomfort and potential long termphysical problems to the rider.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved bicycle helmet.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The helmet discussed herein addresses the problems identified above,identified below and those that are known in the art.

The helmet may define a leading portion located generally at the top ofthe rider's head when the helmet is worn by the rider. The leadingportion may have a spherical or parabolic configuration so that when therider is in the aggressive stance or posture and the rider's head is inthe down position, the leading portion of the helmet initially contactsthe oncoming wind and splits the wind above and below as well as fromside-to-side around the helmet. Preferably, the wind flows in a laminarflow over the helmet so as to reduce the coefficient of drag. The helmetmay further have a tail portion which extends from the back rear of thehelmet and is blended to the back surface of the rider's back.Alternatively, the helmet may have a trailing surface which follows acontour of the rider's head.

More particularly, an aerodynamic bicycle helmet for decreasingcoefficient of drag when a head of a rider is in a down position isdisclosed. The helmet may comprise a cushion, a strap and an exteriorshell. The cushion may have a concave cavity for receiving the head ofthe rider. The strap may be attached to the cushion for maintaining thecushion on the head of rider in the event of a crash. The exterior shellmay be disposed over the cushion. The exterior shell may have a leadingportion with a parabolic configuration. The parabolic leading portionmay be positioned on a top portion of the head of the rider when thehelmet is worn by the rider.

The helmet may further have an eye shield attached to the exterior shellfor blocking wind to the eyes of the rider. The exterior shell may becontinuous and smooth so that the exterior shell does not incorporatecooling vents. The parabolic leading portion may be symmetrical about amedial axis which is generally aligned to a spine of the rider when thehelmet is worn by the rider. The external shell may have a tail portionaerodynamically blended to a back surface of the rider. Alternatively,the external shell may have a trailing surface which follows a contourof the rider's head.

In an alternate embodiment, an aerodynamic bicycle helmet for decreasingcoefficient of drag when a head of a rider is in a down position isdisclosed. The helmet may comprise a cushion, a strap and an exteriorshell. The cushion may have a concave cavity for receiving the head ofthe rider. The strap may be attached to the cushion for maintaining thecushion on the head of rider in the event of a crash. The exterior shellmay be disposed over the cushion. The exterior shell may have a leadingportion with a spherical configuration. The spherical leading portionmay be positioned on a top portion of the head of the rider when thehelmet is worn by the rider.

The helmet may further have an eye shield attached to the exterior shellfor blocking wind to the eyes of the rider. The exterior shell of thehelmet may be continuous and smooth without any cooling vents. Thespherical leading portion may be symmetrical about a medial axis whichis generally aligned to a spine of the rider when the helmet is worn bythe rider. The external shell may have a tail portion aerodynamicallyblended to a back surface of the rider. Alternatively, the externalshell may have a trailing surface which follows a contour of the rider'shead.

A bicycle riding system is also disclosed. The system may comprise anaerodynamic helmet and a video system.

The aerodynamic bicycle helmet may decrease coefficient of drag when ahead of a rider is in a down position. In particular, the helmet maycomprise a cushion, a strap and an exterior shell. The cushion may havea concave cavity for receiving the head of the rider. The strap may beattached to the cushion for maintaining the cushion on the head of riderin the event of a crash. The exterior shell may be disposed over thecushion. The exterior shell may have a leading portion with a sphericalor a parabolic configuration. The leading portion may be positioned on atop portion of the head of the rider when the helmet is worn by therider.

The bicycle may comprise a front wheel, a rear wheel, a frame with thefront and rear wheels attached to the frame, a handlebar attached to thefront wheel and the frame for steering the front wheel, and a videosystem with a camera positioned to provide a front view of the bicyclepath and a video screen to provide the front view of the bicycle path.The video screen may be mounted to the handlebar so that the rider canview the video screen while the rider maintains his/her head in the downposition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the followingdescription and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like partsthroughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a prior art road bicycle helmet;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of another embodiment of a prior art roadbicycle helmet;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a parabolic shaped helmet;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the helmet shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a second embodiment of a spherical shapedhelmet;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the helmet shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a bicyclehandlebar video system;

FIG. 8 is a second embodiment of the bicycle handlebar video system; and

FIG. 9 is a third embodiment of the bicycle handlebar video system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, improved bicycle helmets 10, 12 are shownin FIGS. 3-6. When the rider's head is in the downward position, theexterior shell 14 forms an aerodynamic leading portion (i.e., parabolicconfiguration or spherical configuration) to split the air flow 15around the helmet 10, 12 in a laminar fashion thereby reducing thecoefficient of drag caused by the helmet 10, 12 and rider's head. Therider can maintain his/her head in the downward position by installing abicycle handlebar video system 20 as described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/257,124, filed on Oct. 23, 2008, the entirecontents of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. In thismanner, the rider does not have to intermittently look up to viewobstacles in front of the rider's bicycle path. Rather, the rider maylook down at a screen 16 that displays a frontal view of the rider'sbicycle path, as shown in FIGS. 7-9. In particular, a camera 18 may bepointed forward and feed images to the screen 16. The rider may lookdown at the screen 16 to obtain a picture of the bicycle's forward pathso that the rider can make adjustments to the path as necessary to avoidobstacles. Accordingly, the improved bicycle helmets 10, 12 along withthe bicycle handlebar video system 20 allows the rider to maintain acomfortable head down position and gain the benefit of an aerodynamicshaped helmet 10, 12.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, a first embodiment of the helmet 10 isshown. The helmet 10 incorporates a parabolic leading portion 26. Whenthe rider is riding the bicycle 24 and the rider's head is in thedownward position, the parabolic leading portion 26 initially contactsthe oncoming wind 15 and splits the wind flow around the helmet 10 asshown by arrows 28 a, b above and below the helmet 10. When the rider'shead is in the downward position, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper andlower profiles 30 a, b of the helmet 10 are generally symmetrical aboutaxis 32 which may be generally parallel to a forward direction 34 of thebicycle 24. Also, a tail portion 36 of the upper profile 30 a maygenerally blend with a back surface 38 of the rider 40. A low pressureis not created behind the rider's helmet 10 when the rider's head is inthe downward position. The air 15 flows over the upper profile 30 a andthe back surface 38 of the rider 40. The rider does not have to lift uphis/her head to look forward since the rider can view the video screen16 of the bicycle handlebar video system 20 mounted to a handlebar 22,as shown in FIGS. 7-9.

More particularly, referring back to FIG. 3, during a road race, therider 50 may be in an aggressive riding posture. In particular, the backof the rider is hunched forward in its lowermost position so that thecollective frontal profile of the rider 50 and bicycle 24 is minimizedto reduce the coefficient of drag. The rider's head is in the downposition so that the neck of the rider is generally straight with thespine of the rider. This allows the rider to reduce or eliminate anyneck pain that might be caused by looking up to view the terrain infront of the rider's path. The rider 50 can view the forward view by wayof the bicycle handlebar video system 20 which is discussed herein. Inthis aggressive riding posture, the rider has a minimal frontal profileto reduce the coefficient of drag. Additionally, the helmet 10 of therider 50 is shaped to further reduce the coefficient of drag. Inparticular, when the rider 50 is in the aggressive posture with his/herhead in the down position as shown in FIG. 3, the helmet 10 may have aleading portion 26 that has a parabolic configuration. The parabolicconfiguration of the leading portion 26 of the helmet 10 allows theoncoming wind 15 to separate laminarly or less turbulently over thehelmet 10 thereby further reducing the coefficient of drag. It iscontemplated that the leading portion 26 of the helmet 10 is generallylocated at the top of the rider's head so that the parabolic leadingportion 26 of the helmet 10 initially contacts the oncoming wind 15.

As the wind 15 proceeds backward, the wind 15 is split above and belowthe helmet 10 as shown by arrow 28 a, b. Preferably, the wind 15maintains laminar flow over the helmet 10. The air flow shown bydirectional arrow 28 a flows over the tail portion 36 of the helmet 10and over the back surface 38 of the rider 50. Preferably, the tailportion 36 is blended with the back surface 38 of the rider 50 so thatthe wind 15 maintains laminar flow over the transition between the tailportion 36 of the helmet 10 and the back surface 38 of the rider 50. Forthe wind 15 that flows below the helmet 10 shown by directional arrow 28b, the air flows over the transparent face mask 52 that is attached tothe helmet 10.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a front view of the helmet 10 is shown. Theleading portion 26 is located at the top of the rider's head. Also, theleft and right sides of the helmet 10 are symmetrical about medial axis32. The helmet 10 additionally has a strap 54 for retaining the helmet10 on the rider's head in the event of a crash. The strap 54 extendsdownward from the left and right sides of the helmet 10 and is attachedto each other by the clip 56 below the rider's chin. The helmet 10 mayalso be symmetrical about axis 32 when viewed from the front (see FIG.4) or side (see FIG. 3). In this manner, the wind 15 may be separated bythe parabolic leading portion 26 of the exterior shell 14 of the helmet10 front-to-back and side-to-side.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, a second embodiment of the helmet 12 isshown. Instead of a parabolic leading portion, the leading portion 44has a spherical configuration. The wind 15 contacts the leading portion44 and is split up by the spherical leading portion 44. When the rider50 is in the aggressive position shown in FIG. 5, and the rider's headis looking downward, the oncoming wind 15 initially contacts thespherical leading portion 44. The oncoming wind 15 is diverted above andbelow the helmet 12 as shown by directional arrow 46 a, b. The helmet 12does not have a rear tail portion 36 that blends with the rider's backsurface 38. Rather, the trailing surface 57 follows the contour of therider's head. This minimizes any low pressure behind the helmet 12caused by the oncoming wind 15. The oncoming wind 15 flowing in thedirection of arrow 46 a traverses over the helmet 12 and over the backsurface 38 of the rider 50. The oncoming wind 15 also flows under thehelmet 12 and under the face mask shown by directional arrow 46 b.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the spherical leading portion 44 is alsogenerally located at the top of the rider's head. The wind 15 when therider 50 is in the aggressive position with his/her head in the downposition contacts the spherical leading portion 44 and splits to theleft and right sides of the helmet 12 as shown by arrows 58 a, b.Preferably, the left or right sides of the helmet 12 are symmetricalabout medial axis 48. Additionally, the helmet 12 may also besymmetrical about the medial axis 48 so that the wind is split above andbelow the helmet 12. The helmet 12 may also be retained on the rider'shead by way of straps 54 and clip 56, as discussed above.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the bicycle handlebar video system 20 is shown.The screen 16 is shown as being integrated into the handlebar 22.However, it is also contemplated that the screen 16 may be mounted tothe handlebar 22 by way of a flexible shaft 58 as shown in FIG. 8. Therider can adjust the position of the screen 16 so that the screen 16 isin the rider's line of sight when the rider's head is in the downwardposition. The camera 18 is also shown being in a fixed position on thehandlebar 22. However, it is also contemplated that the camera 18 may bemounted so as to be adjustable as shown in FIG. 9. The rider can adjustthe direction of the camera's line of sight as needed. The bicyclehandle bar video system 20 enables the rider to maintain his/her head inthe downward position as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 while riding the roadbicycle 24. These and other aspects of the bicycle handlebar videosystem 20 are discussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/257,124,filed on Oct. 23, 2008, the entire contents of which is expresslyincorporated herein by reference.

The helmets 10, 12 discussed herein may have an exterior shell, apadding disposed under the exterior shell, straps 54 and clips 56attached to the padding or exterior shell to retain the helmets 10, 12on the rider's head in event of a crash, and a face mask 52. The facemask 52 may be transparent and may also be pivoted up so that therider's eyes are exposed to the environment. Additionally, the face mask52 may be pivoted down so that the wind 15 does not blow air on therider's eyes. In this manner, the rider's eyes do not become dry whichmay be a problem when the rider 50 is wearing contact lenses.Additionally, the face mask 52 extends the potential laminar air flowbelow the helmet 10, 12 during use. The exterior shell of the helmet 10,12 may be fluid and have no apertures for providing cooling features tothe helmet 10, 12.

Referring back to FIG. 3, the parabolic shaped helmet 10 may also bemodified so as to have a trailing surface 57 a instead of a trailingportion 36. The trailing surface 57 a may behave in the same manner asthat described in relation to FIGS. 5 and 6. Moreover, referring back toFIG. 5, the spherical shaped helmet 12 may have a trailing portion 36 ainstead of a trailing surface 57. The trailing portion 36 a may behavein the same manner as that described in relation to FIGS. 3 and 4.

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation.Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devisevariations that are within the scope and spirit of the inventiondisclosed herein, including various ways of constructing the strap andclip. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed hereincan be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and arenot intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein.Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustratedembodiments.

1. An aerodynamic bicycle helmet for decreasing coefficient of drag whena head of a rider is in a down position, the helmet comprising: acushion with a concave cavity for receiving the head of the rider; astrap attached to the cushion for maintaining the cushion on the head ofrider in the event of a crash; an exterior shell disposed over thecushion, the exterior shell having a leading portion with a parabolicconfiguration, the parabolic leading portion positioned on a top portionof the head of the rider when the helmet is worn by the rider.
 2. Thehelmet of claim 1 further comprising an eye shield attached to theexterior shell for blocking wind to the eyes of the rider.
 3. The helmetof claim 1 wherein the exterior shell is continuous and smooth.
 4. Thehelmet of claim 1 wherein the parabolic leading portion is symmetricalabout a medial axis which is generally aligned to a spine of the riderwhen the helmet is worn by the rider.
 5. The helmet of claim 1 wherein atail portion of the external shell is aerodynamically blended to a backsurface of the rider.
 6. The helmet of claim 1 wherein a trailingsurface of the external shell follows a contour of the rider's head. 7.An aerodynamic bicycle helmet for decreasing coefficient of drag when ahead of a rider is in a down position, the helmet comprising: a cushionwith a concave cavity for receiving the head of the rider; a strapattached to the cushion for maintaining the cushion on the head of riderin the event of a crash; an exterior shell disposed over the cushion,the exterior shell having a leading portion with a sphericalconfiguration, the spherical leading portion positioned on a top portionof the head of the rider when the helmet is worn by the rider.
 8. Thehelmet of claim 7 further comprising an eye shield attached to theexterior shell for blocking wind to the eyes of the rider.
 9. The helmetof claim 7 wherein the exterior shell is continuous and smooth.
 10. Thehelmet of claim 7 wherein the spherical leading portion is symmetricalabout a medial axis which is generally aligned to a spine of the riderwhen the helmet is worn by the rider.
 11. The helmet of claim 7 whereina tail portion of the external shell is aerodynamically blended to aback surface of the rider.
 12. The helmet of claim 7 wherein a trailingsurface of the external shell follows a contour of the rider's head. 13.A bicycle riding system comprising: an aerodynamic bicycle helmet fordecreasing coefficient of drag when a head of a rider is in a downposition, the helmet comprising: a cushion with a concave cavity forreceiving the head of the rider; a strap attached to the cushion formaintaining the cushion on the head of rider in the event of a crash; anexterior shell disposed over the cushion, the exterior shell having aleading portion with a spherical or a parabolic configuration, theleading portion positioned on a top portion of the head of the riderwhen the helmet is worn by the rider; a bicycle comprising: a frontwheel; a rear wheel; a frame with the front and rear wheels attached tothe frame; a handlebar attached to the front wheel and the frame forsteering the front wheel; a video system with a camera positioned toprovide a front view of the bicycle path and a video screen to providethe front view of the bicycle path, the video screen mounted to thehandlebar so that the rider can view the video screen while the ridermaintains his/her head in the down position.